Fairly recently Priorat went through a huge transition and is now one of the most interesting wine regions in Spain. Old-style Priorat had a reputation for being massively alcoholic but now the best wines from this region are some of Spain’s most sophisticated and sought-after reds. Priorat was awarded the DOC in 2001 (it had been a DO since 1975).

The region has a special soil, called llicorella which is made of a brown slate mixed together with rocks. Mountains surround the area and the vines are tended by hand. The key grapes in Priorat are garnacha (known elsewhere as grenache) and cariñena (carignan) which produce red wines with intense fruit flavours of blackberry and plums, and a required minimum of 13.5% alcohol.